There were 416,776 tickets available for the various wheelchair basketball matches. 

Across the nine days of action a total of 354,734 sold, while ticket sales from athletics were only 319,564.

Rio 2016 saw the second-biggest attendance at a Paralympic Games ever, behind London 2012.

“The International Wheelchair Basketball Federtion are very pleased to see that the wheelchair basketball competition at the Paralympic Games was so well received," said Mehrens.

"The ticket sales are impressive. As in the past the men’s and women’s tournament were a magnet for the public interest.

"During the Games you could always see that the wheelchair basketball was already very popular in Brazil and the audience consistently knowledgeable and enthusiastic.”

United States produced a performance of complete domination to overpower defending champions Germany 62-45 and return to the top of the Paralympic women's wheelchair basketball podium in Rio. 

The US were gold medal winners at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 but slumped to fourth place at London 2012 as Germany beat Australia in the final.

Meanwhile in the men's event the United States were also victorious as they won their first Paralympic men's wheelchair basketball title for 28 years with a 68-52 victory over Spain.

Earlier, this week IWBF President Mehrens signed a letter of intent with Wilfried Lemke, the United Nations’ special adviser on sport for development and peace, to UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon.

The content of the letter, signed in the Germany City of Bremen, is the declaration of intent to think, plan and potentially realise projects on the basis of a partnership.

The IWBF says it pursues the same ambitions and therefore believes a collaboration of interests makes "perfect sense" to have the chance to support and establish common projects in a sustainable manner.